The 21-year-old Toronto-resident will return to A1GP duty making just his third start of the season having led Canada in the opening two rounds of the current ten-round campaign in the Netherlands and Czech Republic respectively last September and October. While Hinchcliffe will fulfill race duties in the United Kingdom the team will again rely on the talents of 18-year-old Daniel Morad in Friday morning's 'Rookie-Only' session - the Markham racer set for his fourth A1GP meeting in the role having accompanied the team to South Africa, Mexico and China already this year.
Both Hinchcliffe and Morad are new to the 2.62-mile Brands Hatch Grand Prix Circuit but the team is confident in its driver line-up, a blend of youth and experience, with two points scoring finishes the clear objective heading into the weekend. Currently sitting ninth in the A1GP Nations Standings, a double points score from Hinchcliffe in the Sprint and Feature races should help cement Canada's best ever placing in A1GP following a tenth place finish in the inaugural 2005-06 season and an eleventh place finish in the 2006-07 championship.
Having come close to opening the scoring for Canada earlier this season in his outings at Zandvoort and Brno, Hinchcliffe is keen to rejoin the team which has subsequently gone on to score one win, five podiums, and two pole positions with Robert Wickens behind the wheel. James' own record in A1GP boasts eighteen starts over the 2006-07 and 2007-08 seasons with seven top-ten finishes and a Sprint race podium to his credit. Heading to Brands Hatch having already started his quest for the 2008 Atlantic Championship title in North America, the Ontario racer's looking forward to top-and-tailing the current A1GP season for Canada.
"I'm excited to be heading to Brands Hatch for the A1GP season finale," stated Hinchcliffe. "Any opportunity to drive for Canada, and in particular with the strength of talent within the team, is obviously a good thing. I know I'm facing a bit of a challenge given I haven't raced the car since October and I'm new to Brands Hatch but having seen the form enjoyed by the team and Robbie (Wickens) in recent events it certainly raises my prospects for another strong weekend. I have to thank the team again for the opportunity to race and here's hoping for a great finish to a great year!"
Mark Gallagher, whose Status Grand Prix outfit operates A1 Team Canada on behalf of Seat Holder Wade Cherwayko, commented; "We're excited to have James return to the line-up. When he drove for us earlier the team had just gone through a major transformation and ultimately with a new crew we weren't quite up to speed at the start of the season. This is the perfect way for James to come back as we've subsequently been very competitive. He'll get the benefit of that experience now and no doubt recognize the difference when he gets out on track.
"With James racing Daniel will continue to be our rookie driver at Brands, continuing to build his experiences in A1GP with a view to competing for us in the future. He's doing a great job for the team and while we'd be keen to try him in race conditions - with a top-six series finish potentially on the cards for A1 Team Canada we've opted for James' experience this time round in the belief he can add to the points tally accumulated by Robbie."
A1GP Top-Ten Standings - Round 9/10: 1st Switzerland (150), 2nd New Zealand (121), 3rd France (111), 4th Great Britain (99), 5th South Africa (92), 6th Germany (83), 7th Ireland (83), 8th Netherlands (80), 9th CANADA (75), 10th Portugal (50)
Photo Credit: 'James Hinchcliffe will round out the A1GP season for A1 Team Canada' - Jakob Ebrey Photography
From: A1 Team Canada Media Relations: Stuart Morrison - PR & Media Manager
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